Last week I presented an aqua and white tablescape HERE. I like to use the same table elements back to back when the occasion works. Today I am using some of last week's tablescape -- the tablecloth, napkin rings -- to make a different version of aqua. This week's theme is Hyacinths -- both real and metal. I love metal flowers, especially old ones, and love collecting them as they are so "permanent".
Today's aquas are:
1) Kim Seybert capiz shell round placemat. It is actually aqua but the camera reads it as a deeper shade of green; 2) charger in sage by Mikasa in their Color Spectrum series; 3) dinner plate by Royal Worcester with a date code of 1950. That color was popular then. I don't know the pattern name; and 4) shell-shaped French Limoges hand painted dish that I am using for dessert service.
Here is what the sage Mikasa charger looks like. They were made in many colors in the late 1980's and 1990's. You've probably seen them many times or own them. That is not a mark on the charger, it is just a wierd light situation.
But starting the dinner off are these hand painted French Limoges bird plates for appetizers. I love them for their blues and greens and birds in the Spring seems a natural element. Each of the plates has a different pair of birds. The French artist's signature is there but I can't read it easily as I am not familiar with French last names - L. S ----; need to research that more.
The species of bird is not marked on the back so on some of them I would just have to guess. These are probably Quail.
A collage for you.
More cute birds.
Pheasants on this plate.
The bird appetizer plates go directly on top of the chargers. Often I show you photos of the plates stacked up, but I don't like them stacked when the guest is sitting there. It is cumbersome and awkward for them. Use only one plate on top of the charger at a time.
For the center of the table, I am using fresh Hyacinths from the grocery store. In our area we only have three florists left still in business in a 30 minute drive from my house. The cut flower business has gone to all the grocery stores and I can find upper end cut flowers at two of them but one has outrageous prices. I wanted white Hyacinths for this table because I have the white metal ones and luck so had it that Fresh Market grocery store had them this week in both white and pink. Usually you can find the purple ones in pots. When I buy them in the pots, after the bloom has ended I plant the bulbs in my front yard in the sunniest spot so they come up first thing in the spring.
I purchased three bundles and placed them in three clear glass footed vases. You can imagine the great aroma these three bundles makes in the house.
Here you can see the metal ones clearer. I purchased quite a few of these for a photo shoot I did previously and have some small, medium and large ones for sale still in the original boxes. I am going to open an eBay account this week to sell the extra ones. They take spray paint well if you want different colors. Above you see light blue, aqua and white ones.
I am always intrigued with the line up of plate edges. You can see the Martha Stewart Home aqua quilted tablecloth here and the Yves Delorme napkin with Kim Seybert aqua beaded napkin ring. I chose antique Gorham in the St. Cloud pattern. It used to be very hard to find, but I've seen alot of it come on the market lately. Old Gorham patterns were hand tooled and very well made and many have romantic patterns popular at the turn of the century.
I've also added nests with birds' eggs which I enjoy doing only in the Spring.
And blue eggs.
Here is what the pattern looks like on the Royal Worcester dinner plates.
And how they look on the table.
The French shell plates came in four colors, pink, yellow, pale blue and aqua. I like the aqua ones best. I found mine in San Francisco about 15 years ago and I added a couple more that I found in the French section of Canada.
All the dessert shell plates have different florals on them.
It is about 5:00PM so the low sun is coming through the plantation shutters.
I am using clear glass today because I forgot to go upstairs and bring down my aqua bubble glass goblets. I have not had any luck finding aqua toned crystal stemware. This is etched Zodax on the left and the Edward pattern by Williams-Sonoma on the right.
I wanted you to see the close up of this Martha tablecloth. It has what I would call vermicelli style stitching in the quilting and then has tone-on-tone embroidered flower clusters all over it. The color actually is aqua in person but the camera is reading it as almost white which is a shame since it is truly a lovely color. It also has a scalloped hemline. I purchased it at Macy's about four years ago.
Collage of the Yves Delorme napkin and Kim Seybert napkin ring.
Above is a close up of the metal flowers. They are quite sturdy and well made with alot of detail work to cut the petals in the metal and attach them.
I'll leave you with this last photo so you can take a deep breath of this tremendous aroma. Can you smell them???
I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch. To see all the entries, after 10:00AM Eastern on Thursdays, go here:
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Summer
Photos: Swede
